Search results for: provisional

An old man’s river: Introduction

From today, just as an experiment, I’m going to recommend something every day to you. It could be a book I’ve read, a film I’ve seen, a song I like, whatever. Be warned, this is a provisional post. Why am I doing this? As I said, as an experiment. It came to me while I … Continue reading “An old man’s river: Introduction”

Of dreaming dreams and seeing visions

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: Joel, Chapter 2, verse 28 (The Bible, King James Version) I can convince myself of anything, and often … Continue reading “Of dreaming dreams and seeing visions”

Continuing to muse about Facebook and enfranchisement

This is a very provisional post; even as I write it, I have this sense of having to tread barefoot very gingerly across a landscape strewn with broken glass. Not sure why. But sometimes that’s what blogging’s for. To expose what you’re thinking to other people so that you can learn from their comments, an … Continue reading “Continuing to muse about Facebook and enfranchisement”

Of “Possible Use” and “Permeated Minds”

I guess quite a few of you will already have read Abraham Flexner’s essay “The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge“. Flexner was the founding Director of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, and originally wrote the essay as a memo for thr General Education Board; he later used it as the basis for an address … Continue reading “Of “Possible Use” and “Permeated Minds””

Musing about the ROI of IT

Yup, it’s time for another Very Provisional Post. There’s something I don’t get about IT and ROI. Something fundamental. And that thing is: How can we possibly use the tools of a very old paradigm to solve the problems of a very new paradigm? I guess this is something I’ve been musing about for fifteen … Continue reading “Musing about the ROI of IT”